Dolphins kick tires on RB, DE on tryout Tuesday

The Dolphins normally reserve Tuesday -- which is typically an off day -- for bringing in tryout players. Well, Tuesday was most definitely not an off day for the team. The team practiced.

But the Dolphins nonetheless flew two players into town for tryouts ...

The team worked out defensive end Martin Ifedi and running back Jonas Gray. Both are street free agents. Both are practice squad eligible.

Ifedi was drafted in the seventh round of the 2015 draft by the Rams. He was eventually waived and signed by Tampa Bay on Aug. 5 of this year. He was waived three weeks later and hasn’t been able to latch on with any other team since. He’s never played in an NFL game.

That’s not quite how it is for Gray. He’s known to Dolphins fans because the team signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame in 2012 and waited patiently as he rehabilitated a knee he blew out in college. He didn’t make the team in 2013 and was signed to the Ravens practice squad.

Gray signed with the Patriots in 2014 and had one game of a lifetime. One.

He rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns in a victory over Indianapolis in 2014. And the next week Gray overslept. And he was basically shelved the rest of the season as the Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl (Yeah, they do that a lot lately).

Gray was cut by the Patriots and the Dolphins signed him to their active squad in September 2015. That didn’t last. He was demoted to the practice squad days later and then re-signed to the active roster the following week. Gray was on and off the roster through November until the Jacksonville Jaguars added Gray to their active roster in December.

Gray went to camp with the Jaguars this year but injured his quadriceps. He was waived injured in August.

One supposes Gray is healthy again if he’s going for tryouts.

The Dolphins obviously could use running back insurance because Arian Foster retired last week. The team is also always looking for defensive end talent to get in the pipeline because Cameron Wake is 34, Mario Williams will be 30 in two months and Andre Branch is unsigned for 2017.

The Dolphins waived defensive end Cleyon Laing from the practice squad on Monday.